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Bluebird feeding - miscellaneous (Part 2)In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website:
From: "Bruce Burdett" blueburd"at"srnet.com Marjorie, et al, Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 11:34:56 -0500 I was recently asked how I managed to train my blues to use a feeder within a 3 feet of my back door. As my late grandmother used say, "Time, patience and perseverance conquers all things." Here's what worked for me. I started with a wooden tray (actually an old kitchen drawer) which I placed on the ground about 5 feet away from a box with nesting blues. Since mealworms are a favorite food of blues, I used them as the lure. It seemed that by placing them on the ground in a large tray that the blues could more easily spot them wiggling around - but that is probably just my perception. 1. The first step is to condition them for feeding at the same time every day. At 6am when the coffee pot goes on, the mealworms go out. I don't believe the time has much to do with it except that it was convenient for me at this time. As you put the feeder in place, make a sound - the same sound every time. I whistle (albeit a sickly whistle), others simply call out to the birds. You could blow a whistle, ring a bell, whatever. Eventually, like a loyal dog comes to his master's call, your blues will come swooping in when you whistle (or whatever) for them. This won't happen right away, so be patient. 2. After putting out your mealworms, do NOT stand nearby at first. Don't do anything to make them nervous. Go back inside the house and watch from a window. You want them to learn that the feeder and your call means a great meal in a comfortable, safe environment; the same experience you look for when you go out to a fine restaurant. 3. Just as it is important as being consistent in the time the food goes out, is the time it comes in. I removed the entire tray by 7:30am as I headed off to work. Even if the blues do not eat all the food (unlikely with mealworms), or visit the tray at all, take it away. One other point: don't overfeed at this conditioning stage. Provide about 10 worms per bluebird. By using a large visible tray and calling out to them at the same time every day and with a limited supply of food, the blues will quickly learn to be waiting for you so they don't miss out on their mealworm treat... and that's the response we're looking for. 4. Once your blues are either waiting for you each day or responding to your call, begin removing the feeder as soon as they are finished eating. This will help condition them to respond immediately to your call. You are now ready to begin moving the tray closer to your house. Just move it 4 or 5 feet at first. Don't make the change too dramatic. Then 2 or 3 days later, move it closer again. Continue this practice until your blues are coming right up to your house. In my case, the goal was a deck railing 12 ft. above the back yard. So I gradually moved the food tray higher as well, being sure to let the blues see me put the tray in place. Starting from ground level 100 feet from my back door, my blues are now feeding from a deck railing 12 feet above the ground and only 3 feet away from my back door. 5. Having been conditioned to established feeding times and your call, you may now find that your blues will respond to your call anytime they are within hearing distance. Your house guests will be astounded when you walk outside your door, call out to your bluebirds and have them swoop in immediately and only an arm's length away. 6. Next steps... stay outside after calling to your blues. Remain as close as you can without making them overly nervous. Sit lower than their feeder rather than towering over them. Make little noises so they get used to your voice and having you nearby. Keep that camera in your hand. You're in position now for some great in flight shots. I've read that hand feeding is also attainable with bluebirds although I've not yet attempted that myself. Good luck everyone. You're going to love having bluebirds on your window sill. From: "emcooper" emcooper"at"bayou.com Has anyone ever tried feeding Wax Worms to Bluebirds? Evelyn Cooper From: "fitz" smokem"at"chartermi.net Evelyn, We were having a real cold spell here in Michigan a couple years ago and had some baby bluebirds that I feared would starve so I made an emergency trip and found the wax worms at a local bait shop. They are less expensive when ordered via the internet. Bluebirds love them. Carol Fitz From: "Godwin, Kenneth" Kenneth.Godwin"at"bellsouth.com Get some earthworms and meal worms. Train bluebirds to investigate each morning your worm feeder, but feed lightly. Ask Agriculture folks to forecast the date of, or give 24hr warning for, the 2X round-up treatments. For the seven days on and after the spraying, offer blues a heavy feast to discourage foraging in the fields. Never done this before. Just a theoretical idea. I have a meal worm terrarium that re-cycles some kitchen waste (dead bread flour, banana peals, apple cores etc.). I learned I need to create more surface area, so I added many alternating layers of pasteboard (cereal box cardboard) and paper towels dusted in flour. Does anyone out there have a great wholesale price on kilo-count meal-worms? A website? Ken Godwin -----Original Message----- ... From: "Karen Harder" karenh"at"praxisworks.org Since early March, Bluebirds have showed up very briefly every 10 days to 2 weeks or so, then completely disappear. Since we've mostly had cold, gray, rainy weather to this point, I've been putting mealworms out, knowing it's not necessary but hoping to ease their lives a bit if possible (and to encourage them to choose my nestboxes, of course!). I never made mealworms available until last year when mom Bluebird had to raise her hatchlings on her own after papa was killed. Figuring that this spring's visitors were probably that mom and/or babies, I put them in the same place I did last year. But none of the Blues paid any attention to them, so I moved them to within about 15' of the box they nested in last year and have been perching on this year. Still no interest. (The mealies are on a little plastic table, some in a wide-open white ceramic dish and the others right next to it in a Jennabird Bluebird feeder.) There are Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, etc., all around. But nobody has even investigated the mealworms -- not even the Crows! The problem is that it's so cold, the mealworms don't move. How do I get cold -- 40-50* -- mealworms to wiggle?!!? Karen Harder -- Cape Porpoise, Maine Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 15:33:12 -0500 How about a little lamp or a blowdryer on warm for just a little bit. bobbie, Prairieville, La. From: hubertrap"at"webtv.net (Joe Huber) hi Karen, By this time I would believe your Bluebirds have started a nest at another location,so thats why you are not seeing them lately. early nests a subject to many causes of failure so when something goes wrong they will be at your boxes pronto. As for cold meal worms,they don't have to wriggle,just be alive. I fed them back in the 70,s before most people knew bluebirds ate them,and it was winter time so they froze in place. Didn't have to worry about themcrawling away. Joe Huber, Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe Huber hubertrap"at"webtv.net http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL
http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds 27.11714" N Lo -82.4124222 W ... From: "Anne-Marie Palermino" ampalermino"at"msn.com I had the exact same problem and asked the very same question. I received
many tips. In my situation, the solution was to install a "Jail style" feeder as
designed by Fawzi Emad (and I think Haleya Priest was also involved). It works
so well, the blues don't leave my backyard and I am not exaggerating. I started
by putting some dormant worms on top of the feeder and they got the hint
immediately. Now, they eat them cold, roasted and even the dead ones. I cannot
stop them. ----- Original Message ----- ... From: "RON- OHIO BLUEBIRD SOCIETY" OHBLUEBIRD"at"SSSNET.COM I once raised my own meal worms and by late Summer I had more than I wanted
feed, I put them in plastic containers and froze them. I had 2 quarts when
severe cold weather set in during January. The birds survived on those until
late Marc. When frozen they remind one of chow mien noodles. ... From: Ted Pibil ted"at"pibil.org Hello to all, I am new to Bluebirds, so please excuse my newbie questions. For the past year, I have had suet and peanut feeders for woodpeckers as well as a generic tube feeder for Cardianls, finches etc. However, one day this past winter, a group of four Easern Bluebirds showed-up in a nearby tree to check things out. They did not stay and I imagine they were only driven here by the harsh winter. Since then I have wanted to attract them intentionally. I bought a Bluebird feeder that I set apart (about five feet) from my other group of feeders. I have a little dish for mealworms as well as another dish for a chopped nuts and chopped soft berries (boiled blueberries and cranberries) mixture. However, in the month that the feeder has been up, I have only seen one Bluebird and it did not stay to eat. This sighting was about ten days ago. The mealworms mainly get eaten by a pair of Wrens. Am I doing the right things to attract them and should be more patient? Or are the other feeders attracting too much attention? I also put up a Bluebird house about ten feet away from the feeder, but unfortuantely, a couple of Sparrows have taken up residence. -- From: hubertrap"at"webtv.net (Joe Huber) Hi Ted, You didn't say where you are located so I'll assume you are in the
eastern Us. Winter time Bluebirds are more common than most people realize. They
were attracted to your feeder area by the other birds. They are very difficult
to feed under this condition since other birds generally eat Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL
http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds 27.1171494 N Lo -82.4124222 W ... Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 18:08:45 -0500 List, Phil Berry From: Afinechef"at"aol.com ...re: Juncos and cornmeal--how do you feed them cornmeal? I would like to be
able to put some food out for them and never knew how. From: Anne-Marie Palermino Donna I prepare my own banquet food for EABL's (cornmeal, flour, suet, peanut butter, raisins...) and put it in a special "Jail style" feeder where starlings and squirrels cannot get at them. When food is plentiful, birds are very picky and leave the cornmeal that is not coated with suet and peanut butter at the bottom of the tray. I realized that the juncos were feasting on those leftovers that I was throwing out on the walk. It is how I started them on cornmeal. I think just plain cornmeal will do the trick, I would only advise you to put
a very small quantity (2 or 3 tbsp at a time) so that you do not attract
undesirable birds (HOSP's). Incidentally, other lovable birds such as song
sparrows love cornmeal. It is also my observation that juncos are ground feeders
and do not try to go in my jail style feeder. I buy Hodgson Mill Yellow cornmeal
because it is unprocessed whole grain (the germ and all its fiber and vitamins
are left) and it is inexpensive: 5 lbs for $2.70. Market Basket in NH carries
it. PS: for some mysterious reason, I do not have HOSP's in winter. I cannot say the same about starlings. From: Gary Springer If birds are a relevant part of the ecology, when a major part of the birds diet comes from human handouts for extended periods, bird feeding is not aiding the ecology or the birds and other plants and animals which depend upon it. Ways to keep bird feeding supplemental: Feed those seeds that are not the birds choice foods so that they rely upon the handouts only when needed. Discontinue feeding when there is no danger of the birds starving. Feed only that amount of bird seed or meal worms which can be completely eaten before 1:00 PM except during the most extremely severe weather. Begin to offer birds food only every other day, every third day, or discontinue feeding completely when danger of frost is gone. Gary Springer PS Consider the source of rebuttals to these comments. Without the profits from the sale of bird seed, birding and wildlife stores would be out of business. From: Evelyn Cooper, emcooper"at"bayou.com] I feed my Bluebirds raisins and a crunchy peanut butter with oatmeal ball sitting beside the raisins in the feeder. I think that is closer to what they are used to eating in the winter when it gets really bad. When it warms up and the insects get active, they abandon the feeder on their own without me having to discontinue feeding. I think they are pretty smart birds. However, if you feed mealworms all winter and summer, that is like ice cream to them and they will come to it. I have hundreds of birds in my back yard and feed the others Black Oil Sunflower seed and they come and eat at the same time and it is quite a sight to see! They just started coming to the feeder on a regular basis the last two weeks as that is when our colder weather started. There was still plenty insects and seeds for all the birds to eat in the fields. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA ... From:
Gary Springer Have you ever watched tufted titmice, chickadees, Carolina wrens, nuthatches and other birds scanning and pecking at the bark of trees for insects and insect eggs even when temperatures fall to below zero. Do you think they will scan the crevices on tree branches and around tree buds and tear away at bark to uncover small insects and the eggs of potentially out of control insects as vigorously and efficiently if sunflower seeds are available at a nearby feeder? Also, finding food is not instinct. Birds learn where to get food from generations of birds before them. If we don't force these birds to take advantage of every natural food source, those least preferred sources which get them through tough times will be forgotten by the species. If in this remote part of Georgia it took two years for tufted titmice, chickadees and other local birds to learn that black oil sunflower seeds are food, how long do you think it will take a chickadee to relearn that some tiny, hard to find, and nasty tasting insect egg can save its life in severe weather? Gary Springer From: Evelyn Cooper I do observe that the birds abandon what I offer when it gets warm and go get what they like better and apparently know where to go look for it. Like I said, I think if you feed mealworms on a VERY regular basis, they will certainly come to a easy to find, delicious meal. I would not feed them anything on a year round basis. I feed only when it is cold and food is harder to find. Evelyn From: Rappaho"at"aol.com Hi Gary and all, I notice my birds do not feed much when the weather is nice. When it is really cold, they eat like pigs. I am within a few blocks of the country though. That may make a difference. I still have not seen blue birds since it was warmer. I hope they come back. I only saw them a few times. kathy. From: John Schuster, wildwingco"at"earthlink.net Dear Friends, Some of what Gary is bring up here is exactly why the development of Bluebird nesting boxes for insect control (Bio-Diversity) started long ago back in colonial American. Early colonial Americans noticed Bluebirds nesting in woodpecker holes in their apple orchards and it didn't take them long to notice them gobbling up the insects in an around the apple trees either. Putting 2 and 2 together, early colonial craftsman built nesting boxes to manage insect pests, and they first made their appearance in gardens and apple orchards long before the American Revolution, and were used throughout the 1800s an beyond. Today nesting boxes are largely used for conservation endeavors, but the original intent was for pest management. Most of you know that I do not feed birds, but an infrequent helping hand during hard times is A-OK. Good post Gary and as always... Happy Bluebird Trails To You, John Schuster .... From: Anne-Marie Palermino, ampalermino"at"msn.com I can see Gary is not a bird because it must be pretty tough to go hungry and starve because someone wants to teach survival skills. The first year I put out boxes, EABL's took it over I had 4 chicks that died because the weather was so rainy and cold, the parents could not feed them. Between life and death, I know what I would choose. Since then, I do for the birds what I hope someone would do for me if I were in the same situation. I am convinced that human hand outs have a tiny bearing on bird's ability to survive in the wild after human hand-outs cease. If an animal is fit to live in the wild it will find food, weather it had or did not have human hand-outs. Destruction of their habitat, lack of cavities is a much more serious problem. From: Evelyn Cooper A big AMEN to you Anne-Marie, and I am off to another city to do a presentation at 2:00. I am sure supplemental feeding questions will come up. I found some dead in 89 due to starvation during a long ice and snow spell and that memory has stuck with me. I think they need a helping hand. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA ... From: Haleya Priest, mablue"at"gis.net I THINK what Gary is saying is different than helping starving bluebirds. I think what he is suggesting is to think about whether our birdfeeders full of the BEST food all year long is the best thing for the many birds that are attracted to feeders. I am not saying I completely agree with Gary, but I think we need to be careful to know he isn't necessarily suggesting we starve out our bluebirds or birds when they are in desperate need! :-) Haleya Priest Amherst MA .... From:
Evelyn Cooper Gary did say discontinue feeding when there is no danger of starvation so that means he did not imply that we should not supplement feed. So far, I have found that in warm months the birds find plenty to eat without our feeding. Most all of the feeding during those times is done for our pleasure. (My opinion) I let them eat the insects off of Cooper Farms. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA ... From: Gary Springer No, I'm not a bird. But, I'm not surprised that Americans can't put bird feeding into perspective. A walk through the airport or any busy public place reveals that MOST people don't have a healthy perspective of food. Over eating and eating excessive carbohydrates is probably the biggest threat to human health in the country, not West Nile Virus. Food is part of just about every thing we do and is way over done. No one would consider having a short business meeting or social event without piling on excessive amounts of unhealthy food. It appears that we think that going for an hour or two without food is dangerous. So, it isn't surprising that Americans are forcing their unhealthy approach to food on wildlife and pets. To the contrary, it's easy to convince people that birds will "go hungry and starve" when they don't have bird seeds while at the same time the temperatures are in the 40's and insects are plentiful. No, I'm not a bird. But, if I were an insect I would not be warning that feeding birds can be overdone the same way we are over indulging in food.. Again, to the contrary, if I were an insect I'd be promoting year round bird seed feeding as vigorously as the local bird food store. But, if I were a tree or other even a tomato plant that has insects eating at my tissues, I would cringe at the sight of the homeowner that keeps a feeder full of seed and mealworms every single day of the year. Our society has very little if any sympathy for plants? Starve a cat or dog or mistreat them in some way and you'll serve jail time along with a hefty fine. How often do you hear of someone being arrested because dried up pots of house plants were found in their trash or because they had nailed a sign or birdhouse to a tree? It isn't my lack of empathy for birds that causes me to try to explain it is wrong to think that if some bird feeding is good, a lot of bird feeding all the time is better. No, I'm not a bird. Nor is it my lack of empathy for birds that causes me to warn that bird feeding should be limited. It is my empathy for the entire ecology including the birds that makes me step back and plan how much and when to feed birds so that I am contributing to the health of the birds and the ecology, not harming it. Gary Springer PS The House Sparrow which cohabits with man may be the only bird that would decline in population if summer bird seed feeding were discontinued. Also, I wrote 1:00 PM as the time that feeders should be empty except for times of severe weather because birds will have completed their morning feeding by that time. One final point. For three years I fed more than 350 pound of corn and bird seed a week. After enjoying flocks of 250 doves, 200 gold finches, 300 house finches, 200 plus chipping sparrows and hundreds of other birds, I saw the devastation of many species caused by the explosion of others. During the winter, I now feed about 8 pounds of seed spread over the same territory and I believe I am helping the birds and other species of plants and animals more now than I had been before taking an intelligent approach to feeding wild life. No further comments about bird feeding until the weather warms. From: birdwatcherfc"at"netscape.net [ mailto:birdwatcherfc"at"netscape.net ] If you were an insect you would know that no matter how much seed is provided by humans, the insect eating bird will eat you first. Fred From: Jamie Kunz, jamie-kunz"at"stny.rr.com I'm new to the forum, not sure how often debates like this rage ;-) Gary, was wondering what expertise you bring to this discussion, are you a biologist, a scientist, etc ? Or is this your opinion, based on your personal experience ? Or are there scientific studies you can point us to ? Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion, just trying to weigh people's comments. Perhaps if everyone had a tagline at the bottom, not to brag about themselves but to point out expertise/experience, that might help others ... IMHO, I feed 24x7x365, lesser grain in summer, the birds took millions of years to evolve into opportunists, the hundreds of years people have been feeding them won't undo all that. The bird populations are already suffering at the hands of man, I'm hoping I can a little to counter balance that. While people may stuff themselves to being overweight, I have't seen any chickadee's waddling up to the feeder ;-) I wish I had more time to meter out the seed but I don't, so it comes down to either I feed them or I don't. I feed them. Jim Kunz, NYSBS Newsletter Editor & Webmaster From: Keith & Sandy Kridler, txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas In cold winter weather the birds need carbohydrates to keep warm. The USDA evaluated some common foods for feeding chickens back in 1927 to determine the most economical foods readily available at that time so that farmers could maintain a healthy egg laying flock for maximum production of eggs from chickens that did not get over-weight. In 1927 it took more than 6 pounds of feed to produce a dozen eggs from young hens and the average laying hen produced about 130 eggs a year. This is from a list of 37 different feeds that they tested, this shows that the diet fed your mealworm colony will have an effect on the food value of the meal worms. The following values are % of total weight of the product. (Whole) Sunflower seed fat 21.2% Protein 15.3% Water 8.6% Ash 2.6% fiber 29.9%; Hemp seed fat 21% Protein 10% Water 8% Ash 2%; fiber14%; Fresh bone fat 20.5% Protein20.6% Water 34.3% Ash 22.8%; fiber 0%; Meat scrap fat 18.5% Protein 49.7% Water 7.9% Ash 17.4%, fiber 0%; soy bean fat 18% Protein 36.3% Water 8.7% Ash 5.4% fiber3.9%; soy bean meal fat 17.5% Protein 35.9% Water 10.2% Ash 5% fiber 3.4%; cotton seed meal fat 13.1% Protein 42.3% Water 8.2% Ash 7.2% fiber 5.6%; meat meal fat 12.9% Protein 48.4% Water 6.3% Ash 0% Fiber 0%; peanut meal fat 8% Protein 47.6% Water10.7% Ash 4.9% Fiber 5.1%; corn fat 5.4% Protein 10.5% Water 10.9% Ash 1.5% fiber 2.1%; Wheat fat 2.1% Protein 11.9% Water10.5% Ash 1.8% fiber 1.8%; rice fat .4% Protein 7.4% Water 12.4% Ash .4% fiber .2%; dried alfalfa fat 2.1% Protein 14.6% Water 8.1% Ash 8.8% fiber 28.9%; Oats fat 5% Protein 11.8% Water11% Ash 3.0% fiber 9.5% ...From: Linda Violett, lviolett"at"earthlink.net Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Jim, welcome to the List. New listers might not be aware that Gary puts out a great deal of seed each year for birds. There was a lengthy debate some time ago where I advised not putting out millet seed because it attracts House Sparrows. Gary adamantly opposed that advice and cited the huge amount of millet seed, etc. he puts out each and every year without having the downside of House Sparrows. From: Gary Springer, springer"at"alltel.net After my first chore on cold winter mornings, throwing out 8 pounds of white prosso millet over a stretch of about 150 yards, putting one or two cups of black oil sunflower seeds in the chickadee feeders, and pasting a cup of peanut butter in small patches on the sides of several pine beetle dead trees, I thought about how untimely were my posts advising the limit of feeding when weather is not severe. WEATHER IS SEVERE A more timely thread would have been about how to make the bird seed dollar go further in supplying birds food when they desperately need it which is the case in many areas. If you purchase bird seed from stores that sell cattle feed, fertilizer and other farm supplies the price will be surprisingly lower than when purchased in most retail outlets. You will be surprised that these stores are very close to metropolitan areas. There is one such store three miles from the very center of down town Pittsburgh. If you only feed a fraction of these quantities, purchase a large metal garbage can and store the bags inside of it with the lid tightly closed. Here are the prices for bird seed at farm supply stores: Black Oil Sunflower seed Fifty pounds for $13.50 White prosso Millet Fifty pounds for $17.50 Corn Fifty Pounds $8.50 Wild bird seed mixtures are also available inexpensively in 50 pound sacks. If they don't have one of the seeds you feed, talk to the owner. They will probably be able to get most seeds within a couple days. The purpose of the next topic I want to discuss is not intended to open up the debate of the impact of feeding various seeds upon house sparrow populations. Not feeding during summer is the best defense against these birds in your yard which are ravenous grain eaters even during summer. But, make note of the following if house sparrows are not a problem in your area. Despite all the tons of white millet and other bird seed I've thrown out over the last 11 years I've seen only two house sparrows even though there are hundreds of them less than two miles away. Notice that the seed that is commonly referred to as cheap seed on this list is the most expensive of all. There are more birds that will eat white proso millet than any other seed which I am aware. Besides the SMALL sparrows and many other birds that do not or can not eat black oil sunflower seeds but which do eat white millet, Robins, woodpeckers, tufted titmice, brown thrashers and many birds not listed as birds that will consume white millet will actually do so when there are no options. The chickadee is the only common feeder bird I have not observed eating white millet. Gary Springer From: Nancy C. Hebb, Fencroft"at"msn.com Gee, I'm feeling happier about my seed and PB expenses after reading Gary's post. Around here, the local Tractor Supply outlet has 50 lb oilers for $10, and I can go to the local farmer who supplies bird seed to retail outlets, walk into his pole barn, and buy 50 lbs of proso for $14, 50 lbs of good peanuts for $24, sunflower HEARTS for $22/50 lbs; nyger for about the same; and safflower too. He also has 50 lbs of shelled corn for $4.00 and cracked (your choice of fine or medium) for $4.50, so if I'm low on bulk corn I'll pick up a bag of cracked for a treat for the sheep! And the feed stores are much cheaper than Gary's observations. Maybe we have more competitors around here. As temps are in the single digits lately, I'm definitely counting my feed blessings. And, with snow cover and low temps, my starling and HOSP trapping is going exceptionally well! NCH in Michigan From: Gary Springer The chickadees, cardinals, titmice and many other birds that eat seeds from my bird feeders spend more than five times as much time and effort hunting insects when the bird feeder is empty. That extra effort in honing its insect hunting skills will increase the odds tremendouslty that a well hidden or covered insect will be uncovered and eaten by a bird when no bird seeds are made available by me. The notion that birds that typically eat seeds at bird feeders eat as many insects when the feeder is full as they do when it becomes empty at 1:00 is entirely illogical. Anyone supporting the preimse that seed availability has no impact on the amount of insects eaten by birds either doesn't understand the diet of birds, has an agenda, or, doesn't want to ruin the good feeling they get by feeding birds when they don't need the help.. "Insect eating birds"? Which ones aren't? From: Evelyn Cooper People in the state of Louisiana had been worried because migrating seed eating birds had not shown up at their feeders when they usually do. Some had been seeing them out in the fields. I had seen plenty Goldfinches, Rusty Capped Sparrows, Cardinals and Bluebirds, but they were not coming to my feeders. I could see them in the fields, feeding. When it rained and turn so cold the last few days, they have come to the feeders and people in the southern part of the state are reporting they are beginning to come on down. Several people think that it is because we have such an abundance of seeds, fruits, nuts and everything that birds eat and the fall and winter seasons has been so mild and a lot of the birds had not moved on down. Does this not tell you that they will go for the food in the fields regardless if there are seed in the feeders? (My fields were full of birds) In fact, my feeders stayed full and were pretty much ignored until about a week ago and the weather has stayed cold. It sure happened to me this year and lots of folks in LA. Evelyn Cooper, Delhi, LA ... From: judymellin This is information from Cornell's Bird Notes on winter feeding: In winter, natural food sources often disappear overnight when they are covered by snow or consumed by other animals. Birds have adapted accordingly- studies show that even birds with full access to feeders consume three-quarters of their diet elsewhere and that when feeder birds are deprived of supplemental food, they quickly revert to an all-natural diet. So this would tell me that we feed birds for our pleasure- whether it is summer or winter. And what a pleasure it can be! Judy Mellin, NE IL. From: Anne-Marie Palermino Never thought my comment could trigger so many comments and did not mean to upset Gary because I realize how much he does for the bird world. My apologies. At any rate, I just would like to put my activities in perspective, backyard birding is for me a hobby. Because it is a hobby, I'll admit I am a little bit selfish in that I like to keep birds around my backyard in winter because I enjoy so much watching them. Besides appreciating their presence, I like to experiment and see what foods they like most, how to best trap starlings and HOSP's, what feeder is best against starlings... I cannot imagine that this little pass-time of mine has much effect on the eco system. Incidentally, I do not feed bird in the summer and fall because, it is their turn to pay me back and eat the insects in my garden. Anne-Marie, Lincoln, RI From: Evelyn Cooper Anne Marie, this list is for discussion and everyone's input helps in it. We do get a little emotional sometimes, but hey, now this is our birds we are talking about!! And by the way, to the gentleman that thinks we need to post our credentials or give reference for our posts, this list is made up of "hands on experience" people as well as people with degrees. We have some bluebird experts that don't have a degree in ornithology. I am not being short about it, just that we have some people with experience that post priceless information. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA... From: Gary Springer It occurred to me that there may indeed be a general lack of understanding of birds' diet in winter and this lack may make it difficult to understand why feeding seeds reduces the quantity of insects eaten by birds. Many of you may well be thinking that on this cold winter day the chickadees and tufted titmice taking sunflower seeds from your feeder would be out in the woods looking for wild seeds if your feeder became empty. But, actually, when unaided by human handouts, the primary diet of the chickadees, tufted titmice, nuthatches, kinglets, and most woodpeckers on these sub zero days, even when the ground is covered by three feet of snow, is insects and insect eggs, not seeds or mast found in the wild. This may surprise you but it is not difficult to witness this first hand. This group of small songbirds moves about in the forest in small groups dangling upside down on tree branches, scanning and chipping at the bark, branches, and buds, of trees for insect eggs and insects. If you watch them it becomes quite obvious there could be no seeds where they are spending most of their time foraging. Another group of birds consisting of sparrows, towhees, juncos and similar birds spend a lot of time underneath snow covered fallen tall grasses and thick brush, under the snow covered brush piles, under the banks of streams and other places protected from the cold by the snow covering and in other areas where warm air seeps our from the earth. Even when there is three feet of snow covering and protecting these retreats from the bitter cold and warmed by the ground, birds beneath the snow on the ground below can uncover insects by quickly throwing their feet foreword then dragging them backward very rapidly to dig them from the earth. But, while insects are an important part of these birds diet even when the ground is covered with snow, I suspect the diet of this group consists of more seeds than does the first group described above. They probably resort to very fine grass seeds which may be a feed of last resort. Then there are the wrens which seem to take advantage of both of these strategies during cold weather but because of the structure of their bills causes them to be even more dependent upon insects than they are on seeds. Once you understand that insects and insect eggs are an important part of the winter diet of many of these tiny song birds, even in the northern parts of Canada when temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees, it becomes a little easier to understand that making available to these birds a feeder full of seeds reduces their consumption of insects and insect eggs and increases the number of insects that will survive the winter. Gary Springer From: Gary Springer Evelyn wrote: "Does this not tell you that they will go for the food in the fields regardless if there are seed in the feeders? (My fields were full of birds) In fact, my feeders stayed full and were pretty much ignored until about a week ago and the weather has stayed cold. " Plentiful supplies of wild seed and warm weather certainly reduce the pressure on birds to use feeders. And, once at the feeders, the feeders decrease the pressure on birds to consume insects. These are not mutually exclusive. From: Evelyn Cooper Gary wrote: And, once at the feeders, the feeders decrease the pressure on birds to consume insects. Well, I just pointed out that they did not come to the full feeders when it was warm and insects were wiggling. A few would come, but it was apparent to me they chose to feed in the fields. In fact, it was so warm in November, the Bluebirds and other birds were about a month late coming to the feeders to eat even though I offered it. Sorry, after this experience, I do not believe feeders keep them from pursuing their food in the fields and woods. Evelyn Cooper ...From: MJShearer, eshearer"at"comcast.net I've noticed the same behavior, Evelyn. Most birds abandon the feeder in the summer in favor of their preferred diet of insects and ripe fruit. When the seed supply is plentiful, chickadees store seeds under the loose bark of trees. I've watched them hiding sunflower seeds in the crabapple tree outside my window, making trip after trip to and from the feeder as quickly as possible. I'm always amazed that they remember exactly where they hid their little stash of food. Unfortunately, squirrels and other birds also watch the chickadee activity! MJ (Mary Jane Shearer; Tucker, GA) From: stevec, stevec"at"cctc.net i feed them because i want to see them.isn't that why people put out feeders whether it be for chickadees,titmouse,cardinals,etc. i do think i need to stick with black oil sunflower seeds virsus wild bird seed because of the abundant HOSP.they oviously are detering the EABL from the 2 nesting boxes ihave. the ESBL appear interested by peering into them-then they leave and i don't see them for awhile until they happen to light on the birdbath because it hasn't rained here for so long.i have the 2 nest boxes between a feeder for other birds and a tree line.tomorrow i'll move them out of harms way i hope.further away from feeder and closer to where i plant my garden in the spring. theresa hughes, eastland,tx From: bellzerr, bellzerr"at"comcast.net I've created a new feeder that is 100% mockingbird proof - and - by blues are quite comfortable with using it. In fact, they move in and out of the feeder as if the walls didn't exists. How do they do this? Because the "walls" have more entrance holes than solid substance. It's a box made from a homemade grid of 1 1/2" openings. Being an avid woodworker, it was a fairly straightforward table saw project. It's about 14" square and 8" high with a solid bottom and top. This provides plenty of room for winter season when I'll get 6 or 7 blues at once inside the feeder. It also puts the food plate out of the reach of those peskey mockingbirds no matter how hard they strain their necks or push their big fat shoulders against the grid bars. Oh, what a joy it was to watch that sight while my blues sat watching from a nearby tree. I think I heard them giggling - I know I was! The blues just hop in and out on any side and from any level they choose. It also makes for nice visabilty for me. Now that I've proven the concept, I'm planning to make an improved version with a grid for the top in place of the solid piece. I'll also use some weather tolerate wood like redwood or teak instead of the pine used in my test feeder. I kind of forget how to get photos out to the list. I need a web link, right? If anyone is interested, I'll find a spot for some photos and publish a link. Would construction details be of interest to anyone? Hey, if the feeder catches on, will it be named after me or must I have a biology degree or something? ;-) From: Anne-Marie Palermino Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 7:45 PM Subject: Re: Speaking of feeding I have a feeder a little bit like that (Fawzi's design). I worked wonderfully well until I had a jealous red bellied wood pecker that started attacking the lattice and enlarging the entrance areas until he could fit and reach the feeding containers. I did not mind him but I sure minded all the starlings following him in the feeder. This year I seem to have circumvented the problem by attaching a suet cage under the feeder in a way that so that only woodpeckers can get to it. Net net, the red bellied is no longer jealous and I don't have a starling problems anymore. Regards Anne-Marie Lincoln, RI From: Fawzi P. Emad From: Bet Zimmerman, ezdz"at"charter.net With regard to the feeding discussion, in my opinion, any disturbance to the ecosystem caused by feeding wild birds is probably outweighed by other types of historical disturbances (such as the introduction of house sparrows and starlings), and by the fact that people who feed birds are/become more interested and knowledgeable about wildlife, and thus are more likely to get involved in their conservation. It seems the most serious downside to feeding is increased likelihood of spread of contagious disease (such as the house finch eye disease - see http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/wildlife/nf355.htm for information on how to make feeders "safe"). Also, although I do strongly believe that people should avoid feeding millet and cracked corn in areas where house sparrows are a problem, I would guess a bigger problem (in terms of promoting house sparrow population increase) is food sources such as animal feed, and trash from McDonalds, etc. Bet from CT From: Brucemac1"at"aol.com I live in a rural, agricultural area near the north shore of Lake Erie. Because of farming activities, feed mills, grainaries, etc., we have an active HOSP population. I don't care what kind of seed we put out, if HOSP are in the area, you'll have HOSP at your feeders. Less likely, if you stick to the two sunflower varieties, but still present nonetheless. Bruce Macdonald, SW Ontario, South of Detroit From: SCooke [mailto:ncw001"at"nc.rr.com] As many of you may remember, I am very new at this. In fact this is the first year my box has had EABL's in it. The first nest was abandoned with 4 eggs in it. The present nest has 3 nestlings that hatched July 6 & 7 which makes them about 8 days old.(right?) The male disappeard before the last egg was laid and since then Mama Blue has been doing a marvelous job. I have been supplementing heavily with mealworms. Last evening I noticed a beautiful (aren't they all?) male EABL coming to the feeding station where I feed the mealworms. All went well unitl mid morning today when he decided that this is his territory and he was dive bombing Mama when she would come near to get worms for herself and her babies. I am guessing that he too has a family to feed since he gets as many worms as he can cram into his beak before flying off. My concern is that he is taking the worms which Mama Blue needs b/c she has no partner to help her. What should I do? Anything? Or should I just leave them alone and let them work it out like I used to do with my children when they were young. I might mention that the box and feeder are within 25 feet of my breakfast nook window and since I work from home I am very aware of what goes on throughout the day. I feel the rumblings of the protective mother rising from within and I'm tempted to run outside and give Mr. Bluebird a lecture but I doubt that would accomplish anything except to insure my commitment to the local mental health facility by my family and friends. From: Haleya Priest [mailto:mablue"at"gis.net] Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 9:05 PM Subject: Re: What should I do about the male EABL antagonizing my singlemom EABL? Haleya Priest Amherst MA From: Wendell Long [mailto:mrsimple33"at"go-concepts.com] Sharon in NC, ...I am tempted to recommend you do as you report you did with your children when they were young. That is to say "........leave them alone and let them work it out...." Of course I have no way of knowing how the kids turned out so I cannot judge your treating your birds the same way. But for discussion purposes only lets assume your kids and your husband thrived and all did extremely well with "let them work it out" treatment. ... Ah but I must not digress too far afield from your question Sharon in NC. H, in her wisdom and experience, speaks as though the male bird perhaps may be robbing Peter to pay Paul. I doubt this and fear H may be wrong for the first time. Personally I think the male is feeding the homeless and therefore you should add another feeder and not move the one you now have. But these recommendations are just treating the symptoms and not the problem. What you really need is a research grant from one of the Kerry foundations for the study of worms as related to bluebird same sex marriage in the Commonwealth of MA. My only other suggestion(only one persons opinion mind you) is try not feeding at all for a spell and see what happens. ... Wendell Long Waynesville, OH From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com] Sharon, Cute babies. What I do for mothers that need help feeding young: I use a 3' plant stand and a small ceramic dish to feed mealworms. The plant stand is very portable - place it maybe 30 ft from the nestbox. I only put out as many mealworms as the mother can use in 5 - 7 minutes. As soon as the mealies are gone, I remove the stand & dish. Usually, I put out the mealworms at all the nestboxes consecutively, so that all parents are too busy using their "own" mealies to steal from another location. (your male bluebird may be feeding fledgings in the trees, so I'd just place his dish close to where he flies) If I see that the babies aren't being adequately fed, I might put out a small number of mealies, twice a day. IMO, quickly removing the stand & dish, helps to eliminate protective behavior of this food source. Also, using several small feeders seems to give the less aggressive birds a better chance at the food. Some people would love to have a problem of bluebirds in their yard - fighting over mealies. :-) Good luck. From: SCooke [mailto:ncw001"at"nc.rr.com] Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 1:11 PM Subject: curious EABL behavior ...By the way, Mama Blue and the visiting male seem to have worked out their differences about whose mealies appear in the dish. They appear to be tolerating each other and both seem to get what they need. Thanks for all who offered advice on how to handle it, Sharon in NC From: Lawrence Herbert [mailto:lherbert"at"4state.com] I have been enjoying a nice read: "Birds at your Feeder" by Erica Dunn and Diane L. Tezzzglia-Hymes, printed in 1999. It is a compilation of the data gathered from 'Project Feeder Watch' by Cornell's Lab of Ornithology and others. The book is loaded with interesting behavior, maps of per cent of feeders visited, feed preferences, and beautiful sketches of all of the birds visiting feeders. Maybe there is a copy at your local library if you also enjoy reading about our winter visitors. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO. From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 8:52 AM Subject: attracting bluebirds to your feeder Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Many of the native birds feed on red berries from different plants at this time of the year. By placing a few cutting of limbs covered with red berries near your feeders you will often get some of the birds to come and inspect this new food. Once at the feeder offer them an assortment of the foods that have been mentioned but keep the food fresh. Bluebirds also watch other birds and are attracted to flocks of birds evidently feeding on something good. Even Starlings can alert the bluebirds to the location of your feeder. This is the time of year when landscape specialists are cutting back trees and bushes with food on the limbs. Now is the time of year to plant trees and bushes for wildlife in your back yard. KK From: Lawrence Herbert [mailto:lherbert"at"4state.com] Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 8:17 PM Subject: Wood Ducks and cranberries ...you mentioned offering cranberries for the bluebirds. Here's a note in this month's school lunch menu: "Cranberries were first called crane berries either because the big birds (Sandhill Cranes) liked to eat the fruit so much or because early settlers thought the cranberry flower resembled a crane's head." The comment is titled BERRY COOL. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin (sw) Missouri. From: Fultons [mailto:thefultons"at"everestkc.net] I have been fortunate enough to have at least 12 EABL coming to the
feeder every day now for about Cristy Fulton From: Cher [mailto:BluebirdNut"at"a-znet.com] Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 10:21 AM Subject: Re: EABL at feeder Cristy, I had a loose flock of about 7-8 Blues stay all winter last
year. It was around the third week of February that I began to notice
just a little bit of irritability at the feeder, and some mild interest
in nestboxes. But it was another five or six weeks before any serious
nest-building took place. So they're just beginning to feel spring
in the air, and the warm weather is probably encouraging that tendency.
You'll probably notice more and more territorial behavior over the
next few weeks, until finally only one pair is left. .... Cher From: Shawn [mailto:shawnee4"at"charter.net] Great picture! What are they eating, looks like a regular seed mix (or is there Bluebird Banquet on top)? From: Fultons [mailto:thefultons"at"everestkc.net] Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 9:10 AM Subject: Re: EABL at feeder The food in the platform feeder is mostly sunflower seed chips and Bluebird Banquet. I do believe that the beauties are eating the chips when all the Bluebird Banquet is gone. At first when I would put out the Banquet those stupid starlings where taking it all before the EABL could EVEN try it. And I know then they would eat the chips before I would get more Banquet out there. But it's funny...cuz as soon as they got a taste of the Banquet, I don't think they really were wanting the chips as much. Anyways...thanks to all of you for your comments about my picture. I have really enjoyed hearing from you all!! Cristy Fulton From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 8:10 AM Subject: Re: EABL at feeder Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas a cool 41*F this morning Warblers are moving through this area of Texas and we have a week of cool days and nights forecast. I went out and gathered limbs of berry producing trees, vines and bushes on Sunday to show at some up coming bluebird meetings I have scheduled this week. Almost every time I parked the truck to install new nestboxes or collect a plant with berries I would find the fence rows filled with plants for the birds. Some of the plants still covered with berries in the fence rows were trees:Eastern Red Cedar, Bradford Pear, Bushes were: Sumac, Japanese Privet, Deciduous Holly, Yaupon Holly, Vines were honey suckle and Cat claw or green brier, I found some Mistletoe still with berries. In yards around town I found all of the above and then the following still with berries: American holly & Chinese tallow (trees), Nandina, pyracantha, Chinese Photinia (non-invasive as the birds don't like the berries). Anyway we are getting into the critical stages of winter and the next cold snap or ice storm and these are the plants that will keep fruit eating birds alive like bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds, starlings, cedar waxwings ETC. Christy Fulton's excellent photo of the bluebirds eating at the feeder
show These males will have to compete with imported pests like the House Sparrows and Starlings in open fields and yards, flying squirrels, regular squirrels and woodpeckers along edges of woods or forests. They must be able to force out or defend their cavity against chickadees, titmice, flycatchers, swallows, Prothonatary Warblers, mice, rats, chipmunks and then also wrens wanting these cavities (who did I miss?)! They must be able to "sweet talk" with wing waving and singing from the highest tree top a female to join with him and share this rare cavity. He must be able to recognize danger and know how to avoid or escape many other dangers to pass on these skills to the next generation of bluebirds. His singing will attract angry male bluebirds wanting to drive him out of THEIR territory. If they can hear or see each other they are TOO close! If you have raised bluebirds or other cavity nesters it is time for you to pass on YOUR skills to other humans! The bluebirds in Christy's photo will use 8 more nestboxes this year probably within about 5 miles from where this photo was taken. The males will probably be on the outer edges of this circle and the females might all be within a 1/4 mile of where they were born IF there are enough safe nestboxes and strong dominant males from other families to fight back with this successful local male bluebird. Print out some bluebird information from NABS, Cornell or your state
or local experts and post them on the bulletin board at work or at
stores. YOU can spread a little joy! A lady last week stopped me and
said that a bluebird fluttered at her window and then perched on a
branch right outside her kitchen and sat there singing for a few minutes.
She said, "You know, seeing him there made me feel GOOD all DAY." Sunday
I installed a nestbox across the street from her house in a vacant
city lot. Seems she is afraid of birds, bats, squirrels, well actually
she is afraid of anything that From: obxsunshn [mailto:obxsunshn"at"earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:27 PM Subject: Nesting & Feeding I have put my first bluebird box out and have had them come and eat the meal worms I put out for them. As a matter of fact I ring the dinner bell and they know when to come. BUT they aren't nesting in the box. Is it possible they could be nesting somewhere else and just coming to my place for meals? If so, how can I attract a new couple? Thanx for your help. Quinn From: mrtony8 [mailto:mrtony8"at"cox.net] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:43 PM Subject: Re: Nesting & Feeding could be they are nesting elsewhere and just freeloading on you. or they aren't ready yet to nest. you don't mention your location. From: Nina Everett Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:05 PM Subject: Feeding bluebirds I have seen some bluebirds around my box but no real activity. Would it be helpful to put out food for them now? Does this help attract them to nest here? I have absolutely no experience with this. Will appreciate your help. From: SCooke [mailto:ncw001"at"nc.rr.com] Hi, Nina From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com] Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 9:37 AM Subject: New Mom Sounds like you've got it bad! Congratulations - fun isn't it? Dad will almost certainly take some of the those mealworms soon. All EABL I know love the things. It is fun to see him scoop up beakfuls to take to the babies. When you are out in your yard doing gardening chores, if you find a grub worm or caterpillar or any other delicious looking insect, throw it in your mealworm feeder. Once the babies fledge, the parents feed them in the trees for several weeks. They also come to the feeder with their parents. Paula From: Bill Whittaker [in response to an offlist post about finding enough food in cold weather to stay alive] Yes, your right about the food factor, but that is not a problem here. We have been feeding year-round a bluebird diet that we developed several years ago. Unlike bluebird banquet, our food is a complete diet that provides all the nutrients the birds need. Our bluebirds use it as a safety net when they can't find insects. This extends to feeding the diet to their nestlings. We have no doubt that offering them a continuous supply of food encouraged them to stay here all winter and begin nesting in mid March. The bluebirds are currently feeding the diet to their new fledglings. [subsequent post in response to a request for the Bluebird Diet recipe.] From: JOHN & BARBARA SIBIO [mailto:jsibio"at"comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:04 AM Subject: Eggshells Just a reminder, (for those of us who still eat eggs). After reading Keith's Barbara in Cloverdale, CA From: Lawrence Herbert [mailto:lherbert"at"4state.com] Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 5:09 PM Subject: egg shells John and Barbara and Bluebirdsters: We have for years put the egg shells out on the Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO. From: Torrey [mailto:torrey_canyon"at"yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 3:26 PM Subject: Re: egg shells Part of the reason Blue Jays raid the nests of smaller birds is to get calcium for their own eggs & nestlings. Putting out egg shells may well reduce this predation pressure. Depending how many jays are around, that might be worth more to the other birds than having the calcium available. Torrey Moss From: JOHN & BARBARA SIBIO [mailto:jsibio"at"comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 3:21 PM Subject: BB's diet This is the first pair of WEBL I've had in my yard that are interested in the seed feeder. I usually just provide black oilers, but I have been using a mix of oilers, safflower see and whole peanuts this spring. Both of the pair perch on the feeder and eat every day, but I can't tell what it is that attracts them. Does anyone have them eating seeds? The peanuts are whole, so I don't think that's what they are after. Yesterday my husband took a stale bran muffin and crumbled it up on the deer fence, away from the nestbox and the feeder. Surprise! The female WEBL flew over and picked some up to feed a chick. She kept returning to it, and eventually the chicks followed her. Now they are eating it by themselves. In the winter I make the Bluebird Banquet, but have never seen the bluebirds eat it. Usually the Acorn Woodpeckers and Ravens get it. I guess we never know what they will try! Barbara in Cloverdale, CA From: happywebl"at"comcast.net [mailto:happywebl"at"comcast.net] Happy New Year, fellow bluebirders! As you must know, if you watch the national news on TV, we have had a deluge here in Northern California. From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2006 10:16 AM Subject: cavity nesters coming to hand Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas I was actually there at his house to search for Historic Daffodils. As one of the nuthatches was hanging on his chin, hammering away at the pecan piece still stuck in a shell held firmly in his teeth, he said, "You know their sharp claws really hurt and they can scratch up your face some days." His talking did nothing to stop the nuthatch from attacking his lunch. He also had trained a Carolina Wren to come and eat the pecan pieces he tossed in it's general direction as well as a Winter Wren was there begging for food. When he tossed the pecan bits to birds not coming readily to hand there was a race for the food in mid air with the nuthatches or chickadees getting the pieces in mid air before they hit the ground. Then the wrens and White Throated Sparrows wildly dug through the leaves in search of the prize! I could see them coming to him for food but I was amazed to be able to stand within a few feet of him and capture some of the action even using a flash to get close ups of these birds and the "big eye" of the camera did not bother these cavity nesters. The only birds that would not come to his hand with me standing there were a couple species of yellow warblers. When looking at the photo's of birds eating from his fingers on my computer I noticed that his index finger and thumb were permanently stained with the oily pecan nut meat from doing this day after day until it turns into years and then a lifetime. Scott's family has lived on this land since the early 1840's. He lives in the last rock house built by his parents in 1937. He still has the plant magazines his mother ordered plants from in the 1930's to landscape with and copies of the orders she placed! We walked under the trees and bushes his family has planted over the generations. There are massive plant specimens on the property and rare and wonderful finds in many different plant families. Most were planted to provide food and cover for the animals and birds or were a special gift from a friend or neighbor sharing what grew great for them. They are "weeds" to most homeowners but I will be forever grateful I carried a camera with me! The old steep pitched house roof once had hand made wood shakes made there on the property. It had a wonderful view when built on the very top of a high ridge over looking a vast valley of fertile farm land. In the 1970's our county built Lake Bob Sandlin in order for Monticello Power plant to expand and put in another generating unit and give our county more water to attract more industry. When the lake filled it covered most of the Scott farm leaving the house and log out buildings and old box and batten barns sitting on a fabulous point looking over 2 miles of pristine lake waters lined with hardwoods and pines lining the shores. Thirty years later from his point you can see more than 100 million dollars in boathouses and weekend mansions that have replaced the woodlands around the lake edges acre by acre and farm by farm. While I was there the inspector came to lay out the septic tank systems for the new development. He has up dozens and dozens of hollow logs for nestboxes around his property. House Sparrows are never a problem in any of them. It is the two legged predators insatiable appetite for land that will push out his flying squirrels and bluebirds. What should be a museum, arboretum, botanical gardens and nature preserve will become just another batch of million dollar mansions with Bradford Pear trees lining concrete driveways leading to immaculate well kept Saint Augustine grass yards. There will be cute nestboxes installed and bird feeders filled with the most expensive bird seed you can by. But I know the birds will shed a tear for what once was and will never be again. KK From: Schneid, Kurt J LRB [mailto:KURT.J.SCHNEID"at"lrb01.usace.army.mil] Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 9:18 AM Subject: Most exciting bluebird winter yet My "early spring" with several bluebirds in my yard ended briefly with a short lived snow. However when that melted last week, the 8-12 bluebirds returned to feed in the yard on insects. The snow returned yesterday, the bluebirds are feeding from suet feeders, ignoring the bluebird "pellets" I purchased. Here is a shot of one: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/kurtschneid/Birds/_D2X7231crop.jpg From: John Schuster [mailto:wildwingco"at"earthlink.net] On Mar 17, 2006, at 8:49 AM, Sara Ann wrote: I have had little luck researching this, and since this group is so knowledgable, I thought I would post the problem here. Last year, over the summer, we had a handful of sick birds.......song sparrows, yellow finches, doves. Even in the heat, they would stay fluffed up (maybe fever?) and lethargic, and they stayed close to the bird baths, oftentimes, even standing in them. After a day or two, the birds would then start to lose their balance, falling when leaning forward or when trying to walk. We disposed of all birds we could catch, and we kept our bird baths disinfected. Just today, though, I've noticed a white capped sparrow starting to exhibit the same symptoms. I'm not thinking 'bird flu', and maybe this is simply a problem that arises in any large group of birds. But I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks so much, Dear Sara Ann, Could be West Nile Virus or maybe a neighbor using to much pesticide. About 4 years ago I lost a healthy female Western Bluebird to a neighbor that strayed DIAZINON to kill his Earwigs. Found her dead inside her nest box not far from the spray area. Very sad. Hard to say, but we are hearing more about sick birds nation wide. .... John Schuster From: rob barron [mailto:rebel1956"at"comcast.net] Sara Ann, It could be so many things. Are there any open bunker silos on nearby farms where these birds could be eating moldy grain and be exposed to aflatoxins, or any farmers treating for cattle grubs with Famphur (also known as Warbex)? Rob Barron From: Kenny Kleinpeter [mailto:kpkmajk"at"cox.net] Contaminated bird feeders would be a more likely problem than the baths. Kenny From: Tree Greenwood [mailto:doctree"at"crosslink.net] Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 11:42 PM Subject: Re: O.T. sick birds Hi, Sara Ann, Sounds like salmonella. See: There have been quite a few recent outbreaks. E.g., http://www.wbfi.org/sal.htm http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March98/songbird_salmonella.hrs.html Seems like salmonella outbreaks occur whenever winter temperatures are warmer than usual. As the Cornell Lab or Ornithology article states, feeders probably are not the cause or source of the outbreaks but we need to take precautions to ensure that our birdbaths and feeders don't contribute to or extend an outbreak. Be sure to wear rubber (or vinyl if you're allergic to latex) gloves when you handle the carcass of a sick bird or when cleaning your feeders or birdbaths. Humans can be infected by most strains of salmonella that harm birds. Take care, R J 'Tree' Greenwood From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 8:47 AM Subject: light bulb and catching night flying insects Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas When you have blue jays (people swore they were bringing me their baby We also raised honey bees and I captured the drones with an excluder on the fronts of the hives and fed these stingless male honey bees to the baby birds. June bug season was a good time to have baby birds and sometimes around Thanksgiving we would find a jar or box of left over bugs in the freezer. I also used the bucket/light to catch fish bait. The electric bug zappers seemed to fry the insects and older birds would not eat burned toast insects. KK From: markmele"at"att.net [mailto:markmele"at"att.net] I also keep a heated bird bath through the winter here in Central NJ. I feed the bbs dried organic blue berries. |
3 weeks (I got a great picture that
has 10 of them in the feeder all at once, would love to share it, but
it would be an attachment). Anyways...yesterday I noticed that most
of them were being aggresive. They usually just sit there and eat away
regardless of how many other EABL are there or even other birds. But
yesterday they were chasing each other off and the other birds. Does
that mean that they are gearing up for nesting season, ALREADY? It's
way too early and way too cold. Although the weather has been really
nice (upper 50's) for the last three days. Just was wondering about
the different behavior all of the sudden.
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